It is desirable in medical procedures directed to the healing of wounds to remove fluid from the wound without contaminating the wound. This has been achieved using various wound dressings as absorbent agents to absorb fluid away from the wound.
One object of the invention is to promote wound healing by actively removing exudate from a wound without contamination. It is also an object of the invention to provide apparatuses and methods for removal of excessive wound exudate, while at the same time maintaining a moist environment for the wound to promote healing and prevent scab formation. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system which is capable of removing various amounts of exudate from a wound, that is, which can accommodate variation in rate of exudate production by a wound.